Safeguarding Lead
Job Description:
The Safeguarding Lead will be responsible for overseeing the safeguarding strategy of GIRL, while providing technical expertise across the project's workstreams. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of experience in safeguarding, child protection, gender-based violence (GBV), and education in Rwanda. Key responsibilities include managing safeguarding processes, conducting training, and ensuring that safeguarding is a priority within GIRL’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
Key Responsibilities
Component 3 (50%): Lead on safeguarding activities related to Workstream 3, ensuring robust safeguarding mechanisms and processes are in place.
Case Management (10%): Manage safeguarding cases, overseeing investigations and ensuring a survivor-centred approach is used.
Components 1 & 5 (20%): Provide technical inputs and support safeguarding initiatives, particularly around safe learning environments.
General Support (20%): Deliver staff training, maintain safeguarding records, and ensure compliance with safeguarding policies. Includes responsibilities such as risk register updates, reporting, and communications reviews.
Primary Duties
Strengthen capacity of grantee organisations; Design, lead, review and evaluate capacity strengthening activities in the area of safeguarding for grantee organisations (working closely with Capacity Building Advisor)
Support grantees to achieve minimum standards on safeguarding and provide coaching for them to improve their processes and practices within the lifetime of the pilot.
Safeguarding Self-Review: Lead a project safeguarding self-review in the first six months to identify system gaps and improve reporting and response mechanisms.
Safeguarding Plan: Develop a SMART safeguarding plan during project inception, mapping international safeguarding standards to the project and creating a Safeguarding Plan to ensure compliance.
Strengthen school safeguarding capacity; Support DETs with the development or updating of codes of conduct covering child protection and safeguarding with teachers, parents, and students, then to disseminate, implement and monitor it, and design and review of informative posters to each school to increase awareness of local-level case referral systems.
Team Training: Instil a deep understanding of safeguarding across the project team through inductions, training sessions, and coaching.
Project Control Meetings: Ensure safeguarding is a standing agenda item in Monthly Project Control Meetings.
Record Management: Integrate safeguarding records into the Cambridge Education Business Management System for senior management accountability.
Incident Response: Lead safeguarding investigations, ensuring a survivor-centred approach, and work closely with the Ethics, Compliance, and HR teams.
Technical Support: Provide technical input to workstreams, especially around improving safety and wellbeing in schools.
Government Collaboration: Work with government bodies to strengthen their safeguarding capacity.
Case Management System: Design an operational case management and reporting system for the project.
Additional Responsibilities
Policy Input: Contribute to the Communications and Policy Influencing Strategy.
Inclusion and Gender Focus: Align safeguarding efforts with other initiatives such as USAID’s Tunoze Gusoma or Rwanda’s Girls Education and Advancement Programme (GEAC).
Grantee Oversight: Lead safeguarding assessments for grantees and support capacity-building activities to ensure compliance with safeguarding standards.
School Safety Study: Contribute to a study examining school safety, exclusion, and violence, including gendered social norms and referral practices.
Disaggregated Data: Provide advice to workstream teams on how to improve the collection and analysis of data on violence, including bullying, and guide schools in developing safeguarding codes of conduct.
Communications and Media: Provide technical input and review project communications and media with a focus on safeguarding. This includes reviewing content such as the Ni Nyampinga magazine to ensure it aligns with safeguarding standards.
Note: This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop, the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder and line manager.
Candidate Specification:
The ideal candidate for the Safeguarding Lead position will possess significant experience and expertise in safeguarding, child protection, gender-based violence (GBV), and education. This individual will have demonstrated leadership in safeguarding interventions in Rwanda and will bring a strategic and operational focus to the GIRL project. The candidate will be highly collaborative, with a proven ability to engage with various stakeholders, including government agencies, grantees, and project teams, to ensure safeguarding remains a core priority.
Essential Experience & Qualifications:
10+ years of experience in safeguarding, child protection, GBV, and education, particularly within Rwanda or similar contexts.
Experience working with diverse subgroups: Demonstrated experience working with a wide range of subgroups such as out-of-school children and children with disabilities.
Proven track record in leading safeguarding interventions, including conducting investigations, training staff, and building capacity.
Strong experience in managing safeguarding processes at both strategic and operational levels, ensuring compliance with international standards.
Expertise in designing and delivering safeguarding training and other capacity development initiatives for a wide range of stakeholders such as staff, local organisations, and government.
Demonstrated experience in developing and implementing safeguarding plans, monitoring systems, and case management processes.
Survivor-centred approach and ‘do no harm principles’ to managing sensitive safeguarding cases, working with Ethics, Compliance, and HR teams.
Technical knowledge of child protection policies, safeguarding mechanisms, and gender responsive safe programming within education.
Key Skills & Competencies:
Leadership & Team Management: Proven ability to lead safeguarding activities across multiple workstreams, manage teams, and influence senior leadership.
Collaboration: Skilled in building strong working relationships across a wide range of stakeholders such as diverse teams, school leadership, government agencies, and NGOs
International safeguarding standards: Proven ability to apply international safeguarding standards in a local context, with awareness of local resistances and political-economic analysis (PEA).
Project Management: Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage safeguarding deliverables, including SMART plans, case management systems, and risk management frameworks.
Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex safeguarding issues clearly and influence diverse audiences.
Problem-solving & Analytical Skills: Ability to diagnose gaps in safeguarding systems, implement solutions, and manage safeguarding risks effectively.
Survivor-Centred Approach: Deep commitment to ensuring that safeguarding interventions prioritise survivors' well-being, dignity, and rights.
Monitoring & Documentation: Strong administrative skills, including record-keeping, reporting, and safeguarding-related technical input into HR processes (e.g., interviews).
Risk Management: Experience in identifying, monitoring, and managing safeguarding risks, including responsibility for safeguarding reporting and maintaining a risk register.
GESI Mainstreaming; Strong understanding of mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) into programming with the ability to apply GESI frameworks to ensure equitable outcomes for marginalised communities, especially in education.
Desirable Attributes:
Experience working with and/ or building capacity of local organisations, providing support and coaching to meet safeguarding standards.
Familiarity with FCDO safeguarding due diligence protocols and experience working with these or similar frameworks.
Understanding of Rwandan laws and referral pathways related to safeguarding, sexual harassment, and child protection.
In-person monitoring experience, particularly in sensitive, out-of-school, or difficult-to-reach areas.
Experience leading safeguarding within education programmes in Rwanda, with an understanding of power dynamics and school safety challenges.
Personal Qualities:
Strong commitment to upholding the highest safeguarding standards, ensuring safe environments for children and vulnerable groups.
Cultural awareness and sensitivity, with the ability to work effectively with diverse teams and in different contexts.
Proactive and adaptable, capable of responding quickly and effectively to the evolving needs of the project.
Resilience in managing sensitive safeguarding cases, especially in challenging environments.
High level of integrity and professionalism, ensuring confidentiality and survivor-centred approaches in case management.
Educational Requirements:
A degree in Social Work, Child Protection, Education, Human Rights, Gender Studies, or a related field.
Professional certifications in safeguarding, child protection, or GBV prevention are an advantage.
Additional Requirements:
Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda is essential for effective communication.
Willingness to liaise with government bodies and the FCDO, contributing to safeguarding policies and due diligence processes.
Strong understanding of the legal frameworks related to safeguarding in Rwanda.
Experience working with child protection agencies and referral networks in Rwanda.
Willingness to be proactive, responsive and flexible to changing requirements of the project.
Willingness to be flexible and contribute to the company in other duties as required.
Background:
Cambridge Education has been awarded the FCDO funded Girls in Rwanda Learn (GIRL) programme, a 6-year programme (Nov 2024 - Jun 2030). GIRL is the FCDO’s new bilateral education programme in Rwanda, building on components of the previous Learning for All (LFA) programme (2015-2023). The LFA programme worked to improve learning outcomes in English and Mathematics in all government and government-aided schools in Rwanda, with a special focus on girls and including children with special educational needs. GIRL has been designed to build upon this work by continuing to focus on foundational learning outcomes in English and Mathematics, with an even stronger focus on girls’ education and inclusive education. It will work to reduce school drop-out and improve transition to lower secondary or other learning pathways, particularly for girls and children with disabilities. The programme is made up of 3 main components:
• Component 1 will focus on improving learning outcomes in English and Math and providing technical assistance to the Government of Rwanda to strengthen capacity and the policy environment for improved foundational learning.
• Component 3 will focus on managing an innovation fund for out-of-school girls using a test-learn-adapt approach.
• Component 5 will focus on technical assistance and advocacy to the government around foundational learning and out-of-school girls, to ensure approaches are scaled and evidence from the programme feeds into policy and programming in the sector.
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